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Some nice new features are in there but I don't really get why they call that 4.0.
I'm under the impression the new version number is a reaction to Apache who are working on an actual OpenOffice 4.0 with that Lotus Symphony stuff integrated and more.

I can figure out why they'd call it 4.0 but only if they called it that over a year ago. One of the reasons is libreoffice was considered compatible with industry standard this year, and also had a slew of big fixes since the OOo separation. Which leads to the other overdue reason - the separation should've put LO at a different version because it leads people to believe it is better(whether it is or not), and also just a separate product. People who aren't into open source stuff aren't used to the idea of products being forked so when they see 2 office programs that look similar, operate similar, and have similar versions, it can become misleading.

I can figure out why they'd call it 4.0 but only if they called it that over a year ago. One of the reasons is libreoffice was considered compatible with industry standard this year, and also had a slew of big fixes since the OOo separation.

Sure, LibreOffice changed but actually LO has more in common with the OO.org version it forked from than current AOO has.
Apache already replaced IIRC almost all copyleft dependencies with BSD or Apache licensed code. AOO 4.0 is set to get a big GUI overhaul – I'm not aware of any similar plans in the LO camp.

My problem with LibreOffice / OpenOffice is the bad compatibility with MS Office, in particular Word. So for example if I create a document in Word with a TOC and open it in LibreOffice there is no TOC. In fact tables in general are problematic. Often I receive emails at my work email with Word attachments that have errors in LibreOffice.

My problem with LibreOffice / OpenOffice is the bad compatibility with MS Office, in particular Word. So for example if I create a document in Word with a TOC and open it in LibreOffice there is no TOC.

When do you think LibreOffice will get a serious UI refresh ? I think it badly needs it. Not that it's not functional, but yes, when non techies compare it to Microsoft Office 2007/2010 they encounter at office, they find LO "ugly", or just "old looking".

I'm not sure just improve the openxml support justify the 4.0 version. Unless more java clean-up (ideally all) is done.

My problem with LibreOffice / OpenOffice is the bad compatibility with MS Office, in particular Word. So for example if I create a document in Word with a TOC and open it in LibreOffice there is no TOC. In fact tables in general are problematic. Often I receive emails at my work email with Word attachments that have errors in LibreOffice.

Have you read this article you are commenting on, then?

Originally Posted by Morpheus

When do you think LibreOffice will get a serious UI refresh ? I think it badly needs it. Not that it's not functional, but yes, when non techies compare it to Microsoft Office 2007/2010 they encounter at office, they find LO "ugly", or just "old looking".

Har har. It may be "ugly", but it's a whole lot more functional than the silly ribbon UI. One of the best things that they have decided to do is not copying it. And it's also not really ugly, it's just that MS Office has a ton of unnecessary graphics all over the thing. Which, by the way, breaks custom DPI settings. Also, LibreOffice on Windows doesn't look that good due to the fact there are no tools to change the UI theme that I know of.